Semiconductor devices are found in many products used in modern society. Semiconductors find applications in consumer items such as entertainment, communications, networks, computers, and household items markets. In the industrial or commercial market, semiconductors are found in military, aviation, automotive, industrial controllers, and office equipment.
The manufacture of semiconductor devices involves formation of a wafer having a plurality of die. Each die contains hundreds or thousands of transistors and other active and passive devices performing a variety of electrical functions. For a given wafer, each die from the wafer typically performs the same electrical function. Front-end manufacturing generally refers to formation of the semiconductor devices on the wafer. The finished wafer has an active side containing the transistors and other active and passive components. Back-end manufacturing refers to cutting or singulating the finished wafer into the individual die and then packaging the die for structural support and/or environmental isolation.
Semiconductor manufacturers are increasingly adopting packaging techniques which involve three-dimensional (3D) interconnects between the semiconductor devices. The 3D interconnects provide advantages such as size reduction, reduced interconnect length, and integration of devices with different functionality into an overall 3D package. One way of implementing 3D interconnects involves the use of through-hole vias (THV). THVs are typically located around the perimeter of the die along its saw street guides.
Most, if not all, semiconductor packages using THVs require dicing tape or other wafer support material to hold the die in place during formation of the THVs. The dicing tape is applied to the backside of the wafer. The wafers are singulated through the saw streets, but not through the dicing tape which holds the die together. The THVs are then formed in the saw streets of the wafer. Unfortunately, the dicing tape adds manufacturing steps and cost to the wafer fabrication process.
A need exists to form THV along saw street guides of a semiconductor wafer without using dicing tape or other wafer support material or steps during fabrication of the THV.